The Duda Abode

You know that feeling you've gotten this 2nd half, and many times in your Met fandom, that they were yet again going to squander a 0-out RISP opportunity? I got that feeling when The Duda was up in the 7th last night. Having the game a few minutes behind on the DVR, I found my finger on top of those two forward triangles, ready to push past the next round of commercials. It wasn't even like the idea of The Duda swinging and missing a low breaking pitch was perturbing me all that much. I've been almost conditioned to believe that's what would happen. Of course I had visions of a home run that would turn the game around, but those are only natural as a fan. Foul after foul after foul after foul, the Atlanta crowd going crazy, as juiced as they've been all year with it being Chipper Jones Night in the land of Georgia. Those home run visions didn't go away, but neither did that swing and miss image.

And then, on the 9th pitch...

It happened.

"He did it!" I exclaimed.

"He actually got a mistake and he CRUSHED IT!"

Tim Hudson, who was dealing all night, left a sinker up, and The Duda took full advantage. THAT'S the way you win a ballgame.

Of course, I naturally thought this might only set up a vintage Braves-'gainst-Mets-bullpen-blown loss where the man of the evening is the 3-run-home-run hero or something along those lines. When Larry came up with no one on and 2 out in the 8th, those fears were pacified some.

And so, the bullpen, including Bobby Parnell with the save, looked solid in locking down a late-season "Let's ruin their plans for making a run at the division lead" win.

Jon Niese was fantastic this year. I got very picky at certain times about his performances, and at certain times we still saw the big inning that can ail him. But Jon Niese definitely turned that metaphorical corner a good amount of us said he should turn. He will be a solid rotation piece for years to come. He was real sharp last night and literally, literally, made one mistake, which Freddie Freeman absolutely crushed. I applaud Niese's effort in the first year after signing the extension, and I look forward to even more growth in 2013. 

It's hard to figure out what we have in The Duda. You first think he can be a great hitter who will run into 30 to 40 baseballs that go traveling far distances every year, then you think he's never going to adjust to opponents' adjustments because his confidence is too low. THEN, he has an at bat like that against one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Who knows what the future has in store between our favorite ball club and The Lumberjack?

But for one night, at least...

The Duda Abode.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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The Ever Bending Road To Nowhere

My Dad and I drove back to his upstate house this afternoon, while the Mets and the Cardinals had that kind of one where you know at the end of the day, it's probably not going to fall on your side. 

We were almost halfway through when the game got started on my At Bat, not yet close enough to truly pick up frequency 660. All 4 runs McHugh gave up came while listening to the App.

Around the 7th, when we had gotten off the highway to take a scenic route into the depths of New York State and its rolling beauty. My phone wasn't picking up reception, so I decided to try the radio again, and sure enough, there was enough non-static to get what was going on. Baxter got a walk, and then Shoppach launched it. I pumped my face as the road bended with the land.

I had service again right before the bottom of the 7th, and since one earpiece was still in my ear, it came back on. And sure enough, the Cardinals scored a run off the combined ehness of Robert Carson and Bobby Parnell. A little after that, the phone stopped working again. I threw the earpiece down and turned the radio on again.

Because we kid ourselves that it means something, Daniel Murphy hit a 2-run home run once the static wasn't as visible. Another pumped fist, another little town went by. The static got real bad at one point and my dad begged me to try the phone again. With the rally going, I said, "No. We're gonna battle through it." Once I turned on the appropriate road to turn on, Kelly Shoppach struck out, and the inning was over.

We got back right as the top of the 9th was done. I went into the house and turned my dad's TV on. Andres Torres had a great At Bat, and really worked to get that double. To my eyes on the Freeze Cam, he was safe, but Torres should have taken a better route to the base regardless. It should have never been that close. But there it was. And the ballgame was over. We had reached nowhere.

Slightly, a fitting ending to a great Upstate weekend. With so many highs while driving to the thruway,  biking through the woods, and Fishing by the Bay, there had to be one where we're almost there, but not quite enough. That's just the way it is sometimes.

I like our chances with Harvey and RA on the mound. The next two games should be quite interesting.

Let's slice the wings off of those red things.

LET'S. GO. HAR. VEY.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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Playin' That LOB Chicken.

Usually in a back and forth LOB scoreless game like that, the better team will win. The better team will not always be the best team on any given night, but the better team will most likely be the best team by the end of a game like that. While a 0-3 loss, an interesting game, nonetheless. Props to all the pitchers who did their job under severe cardiac arrest. Both the Mets and the Reds popped the clutch as they sped off towards the cliff. Unfortunately, the Mets got their coat caught on the handle and fell to their death, while the Reds were able to roll out safely. Jot this one down in the right column. Prepare for another game.

And so, we march on.

LET'S. GO. METS.

 

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"'Cause Every Little Thing...is Gonna Be Alright."

LET'S. GO. METS.

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A Sour Note to an Otherwise Solid Road Trip

Well, Matt Harvey didn't have it (but I was still impressed with how he was able to limit the damage.) The offense couldn't get anything going off that Staten Island native and the bullpen (I mean Ramon Ramirez) allowed tack-on runs as we chipped away, and we lost 3-7. Oh, well. Not how we wanted the San Diego weekend to go, but after a 1-12 or whatever it was stretch, we'll take a 6-5 road trip. 

Enjoy the day off before the stripped down Marlins and that Jose Reyes character come to town.

LET'S. GO. METS.

(If you are not a South Park watcher, please, do so. Yes, it can be crude, but it is also one of the best written shows ever. Great narrative, fantastic characters, and even some solid lessons along the way. Don't let it's crudeness turn you off. Click a random episode on their full episode website and see where it takes you. South Park is one of my favorite things ever and has gotten better with time. Sorry. This became a South Park Blog for a brief second.)

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Ned?!

                R   H  E

Nationals       5  11  1

Mets            2   3  1

That pretty much sums it up.

Maybe somebody else will step in the puddle tomorrow at 12:10PM.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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The BB’s Will Bite You

The Mets fought. They battled. They came from behind twice to tie the game with 2 2-run home runs. But it wasn’t enough. The walks burned, some opportunities were missed, and at the end of the day, the Phillies prevailed, 4-8, on a warm, sunny Memorial Day at the Citi.

Where to begin with this one…Well, with all the men in uniform scattered throughout the stadium on Memorial Day, Jon Niese labored from the beginning. It took him over 30 pitches to get out of the 1st, receiving no help from the men behind him with 2 errors by David Wright and Daniel Murphy. While no runs scored, it was clear by the 3rd he wasn’t his sharpest self. He walked a pair in the inning after getting the first 2 out, and that led to a Ty Wigginton 2-run double. He had 105 pitches going into the 6th inning, and one could argue he could have been pinch-hit for in the 5th with a rally going. Who could fault Terry, however, for wanting to avoid his bullpen for 1 more inning? It wasn’t meant to be, with 1 more walk and a John Mayberry, Jr. home run. Regroup and get ‘em next time, Jonny.

Cole Hamels was dealing from the get-go. He was much more efficient than Niese, which is what made the bottom of the 3rd so frustrating. After Ike Davis grounded out, Rob Johnson, who has had much more offense than any of us could have expected, singled to left. Jon Niese bunted him over nicely, and a pure hitter in Justin Turner strolled to the plate with a runner in scoring position, looking to at least cut the 2-0 deficit in half. He hit a single to right field, and Rob Johnson took a big turn around 3rd. It was clear he would be thrown out so Tim Teufel stopped him, at least a third of the way home, if not more. The throw came into the catcher, Carlos Ruiz, who cut it off between the mound and the plate. Turner had taken too wide a turn at 1st, thinking about going to 2nd, and the catcher threw to 1st, pegging Justin by a mile. He started the rundown, and Rob Johnson hopped back and forth, not sure where to go. I watched, as many did in the ballpark and on TV, with frustration in my eyes, wanting Johnson to take off while the Phils concerned themselves with Turner. He broke way too late for the run to score, and Turner went into 1st spraining his ankle. None of that had to occur, and I appreciate everyone being a little aggressive against a great pitcher and all, but that was one of the most frustrating plays I have witnessed all year and it cost us our back-up infielder for a few weeks, who is as clutch as anyone on the team.

I can't stress enough how awesome the home runs to tie the games were. Firstly, since Vinny Rottino had come up in the 2nd inning, I kept saying it would be awesome to see another Buffalo Bison 1st baseman smash a home run off Hamels, eluding to last September 24 when Val Pascucci hit a game-tying solo shot off the right-hander. When Vinny hit the game-tying 2-run bomb in the bottom of the 5th, I was absolutely ecstatic. Scott Hairston's was just as awesome from a game perspective, but Rottino's just felt a little more sweet for me. Hairston, however, continues to prove me wrong when it comes to putting him in the clean-up spot, and while he is not even close to the ideal 4-hitter, he could be if he keeps hitting bombs like this. he won't, though, and I'll revert back to old form when he grounds into a double play with 2 on and 1 out.

It really is a shame Bobby Parnell could not hold the tie. Yes, we suffered from having David Wright at short on what could have been a double play in the 7th (he had moved over there when Turner went down), but once again walks killed us (Bobby issued one to Hunter Pence.) I also believe Parnell made the incorrect pitch to Ty Wigginton on the 2-strike, 2-out count with Jimmy Rollins on 3rd. He had thrown fastball after fastball to Ty, and a change-up in that situation would have been ideal. Oh, well. Bobby has made such strides this year, and these kinds of outings have been rare.

Daniel Murphy was the key to the 8th inning. Andres Torres, who has been slumping, showed the hustle we got him for when he single to left-center to open the inning and turned that into a double. Kirk Nieuwenhuis grounded out to 2nd, moving Torres to 3rd. There aren't many people I would rather have up there with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 out that Daniel Murphy. With the Phillies' infield in, Murph got a little over-anxious, swinging at the 1st pitch and grounding it to 2nd. Very uncharacteristic of Murph, but another sign of many signs throughout this game that it just wasn't meant to be for the Metsies.

Fantasic diving catch, though, Murph.

You know what? With the many roster moves that have to be made because of the injuries to both Ronny Cedeno and Justin Turner, including 40-man issues, I do not fault Terry for bringing Manny Acosta into a 1-run game. He has been struggling (which is an understatement), and decisions have to be made. Here's your last chance to see if you belong in the Major Leagues, Manny. And you blew it. Good luck out there in the baseball world.

The Mets aim to tie up the series tonight at 7:10PM. Jeremy Hefner tries again, facing Officer Joe Blanton. Let's get back to 6 over.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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Bye-bye, Manny.

And Then The Rain Came Down...

For the first 2 innings, Jeremy Hefner was sharp and efficient, needing only 17 pitches to get through those 6 outs. The Mets were aggressive on the basepaths, and the Padres threw the ball around, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. But then it started raining. Then it started pouring. And after a 68 minute rain delay, The Padres pitcher, Eric Stolts, was sharp, shutting our offense down, and the Padres strung together a bunch of doubles to blow Jeremy Hefner's early career ERA way up. The kid ended up only lasting another inning and a third, as the Mets went down 5-11.

This was actually a fun loss to be at, if any can be. David Wright continued his dominance, going 3 for 5 including a mammoth, straight-away center field 2-run home run which at the time got us back in the game at 6-3. Then Manny Acosta happened, who was brought in the inning before.

Look. I understand Acosta is not normally more than an 1-inning guy. Terry, however, is trying to save his bullpen as much as possible, and Manny needs to step it up right after Wright led us back into this one. And he just...well...was Manny Acosta. There's no room on a roster for someone with a 2.12 WHIP and 10.80 ERA, right?

After  being told he was going to work on his troubles with the big team, Ike Davis had a fantastic pinch-hit at bat that led to a 2-run single in the 8th inning. He was a lot of fun to cheer on in that dud of a game. Keep that good feeling going, Ike.

The Mets and Padres return to action tonight at 7:10PM. The rain delay led the Mets to give all of us there a complimentary ticket to tonight's game, so maybe I'll take advantage of that. Dillon Gee will take on Anthony Bass. I know we can't sweep the Fathers anymore, but we sure can take 3 out of 4.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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